A new architecture to support efficient web browsing in a wireless mobile computing environment

by Walkty, Scott D.

Mobile computing environrnents present several challenges arising f?om the limitations inherent in wireless networks and the inability of current network protocols to cope with these lirni tations. As the popularity of untethered access to the Intemet increases, conventional network applications such as web browsing must overcome these challenges to support the needs of mobile usen. Recent work in the mobile computing research community has attempted to increase the eficiency of web browsing in a mobile computing environment by employing a client/interceptlsewer architecture which enables the optimization of application layer &ta transmitted acrms the wireless portion of the nehork. Although effective, this strategy relies on the existence of a wired side agent, which introduces a new problem with respect to mobility across different heterogeneous networks (where the agent rnay or may not be available). This thesis presents a new architecture to suppon the optimization of web browsing in a wireless mobile computing environrnent. The architecture uses mobile agents to dynamically deploy a cIient/intercept/server architecture on foreign networks that provide a certain mobility frarnework. The new architecture offers the following specific advantages: (1) A hework is identified that enables mobile units to discover and use mobile agent systems on foreign nehorks; (2) The benefits of a client/intercept/server architecture are translated to any network that supports this hework; (3) The architecture works with existing Intemet protocols; (4) Mobile agent systems on foreign networks are modeled as a seMce that the foreign neîwork provides, similar to other services such as printers. Finally, a prototype system is described that is implemented using the architecture to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.